The Making of Rice Paper

Mekong River, September 2nd 2011

From the coconut factory, our guide led us along the Mekong River and stopped at a house which was a rice paper home industry. I’ve also seen this process in 2009, but was glad with this second opportunity, because at that time I failed to make a photography documentation of the process. I’m still not satisfied with what I’ve done now, but it’s at least much better than nothing. Isn’t that so?

Ooopss! This rice paper is not for writing. It’s for wrapping. For wrapping e.g. spring rolls. These papers are edible.

This is the whole view of the rice paper making. It’s not a big place really. I had to wait until my fellow tourists moved out.

First, take several spoons of rice milk, and…

... then spread the rice milk evenly on a flat pan which is placed over a burning stove.

The pan is covered for 40 seconds.

The wet rice paper is carefully peeled off with a thin stick, and…

... then dried on the bottom of a turned down bamboo tray.

Minutes later, another worker will roll off the rice paper and place it on a bamboo mesh to be dried later under the sun. Rice papers that have been dried well under the sun can stand up to 5 years.

The stove itself is fueled by the rice peel. Nothing is to be wasted.